


Secretary

by dawnstruck



Category: Naruto
Genre: Hokage!Kakashi, Humor, Iruka has special clearance, M/M, PA!Iruka, Pining, Post-Series, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-10
Updated: 2015-03-10
Packaged: 2018-03-17 06:05:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3518216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dawnstruck/pseuds/dawnstruck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of a war, Kakashi falls in love over politics and paperwork.<br/>It shouldn't be this romantic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secretary

At first, Kakashi insisted that he didn't need an assistant.

Sure, Tsunade-sama had had Shizune to keep track of everything and pester her for signatures, but neither Minato-sensei nor Hiruzen-sama had ever had a specific secretary, instead making various chuunin attend them whenever necessary.

Ebisu offered his service, probably thinking that after trying to train Naruto all those years ago he'd still be in Kakashi's favor. And being the Hokage's assistant sounded like a prestigious position, after all. But frankly, Kakashi disliked the man and didn't want to begin his office by surrounding himself with bootlickers. He simply reminded Ebisu that he was a jounin-sensei who still had his own team to look after, and left it at that.

Then there was the fact that the thought of relying too heavily on one person simply did not sit well with Kakashi, even if it was only about paperwork. He certainly didn't want some PA to follow after him 24/7.

The real reason why Kakashi refused to employ a secretary, however, was much more heinous: If he did a shit job of being a Hokage then maybe they would appoint someone else. Naruto certainly seemed eager enough, disappointed in having been passed over by Tsunade-sama. True, the boy was technically still a genin, but he had pretty much saved the world and all of humanity. That had to count for something, right?  
So Kakashi's initial plan had been to simply dick around in his office for a couple of weeks until someone noticed that he wasn't even pretending to pull his weight, and that they'd send him away with a fruit basket or a kick in the ass.

They wouldn't even have time to carve his face into the mountain. Instead he'd go down in history books as the most incapable Kage of all time, with an office period of approximately six weeks.  
That was two months ago.

When he tried to slack off at first, no one ever commented on it. Various people caught him reading Icha Icha in his office, with his feet up on the desk, but apparently everyone just assumed that he was catching a well-deserved break. It was infuriating.

And what was even worse was that Kakashi's sense of duty was catching up with him. He couldn't half-ass this. This was Konoha, after all.

After Minato-sensei's death, the Third had taken up his office again, rebuilding the village in the aftermath of the Kyuubi attack. Tsunade-sama herself had returned to her home after the Sound Invasion, finding damage and destruction.

Now Kakashi was here, reluctant Rokudaime in a country that had been torn apart by war and battle. There still were unidentified bodies and ruined buildings. The economy had gone to shit and traveling the roads had become dangerous, too many rogues and bandits around.

Shinobi were needed everywhere, but at the same time too many shinobi had died.

So it fell to Kakashi and the other Kage to save the day and put everything right again, until the waves smoothed over and things could go back to normal. The new alliances at least promised some more teamwork and opportunities for trade.

When Kakashi had finally accepted that he was Hokage and would probably stay Hokage for quite some time, therefore pushing him to actually try and do a decent job, his first few weeks of not giving a rat's ass eventually caught up with him.

 

“Hokage-sama, may I talk to you for a minute?” someone asked and Kakashi lifted his gaze from the letter he had just received from the Mizukage.

It was Umino Iruka. The man had not just stuck his head in the office like most chuunin would, but properly stepped in and closed the door behind himself. Kakashi had a feeling that even if he said no, Iruka would still insist on talking to him. So he didn't even try to object.

“Of course, Iruka-sensei,” he said pleasantly, “How may I help you?”

“I had a closer look at some of the ANBU reports from three months ago,” Iruka explained, stepping closer to place a ring binder on Kakashi's desk, “And I noticed something that I cannot condone.”

Kakashi blinked, not only at the brusque tone, but the words themselves.

“How did you possibly get your hands on classified ANBU reports?” he asked, somewhat incredulous, “You are only a chuunin.”

“I have special clearance,” Iruka replied primly, “Given to me by Sandaime-sama, and Godaime-sama chose to adhere to his judgment. Should you want to revoke their decisions I will of course understand and immediately tell Koyashi-san to change my status. I apologize for being presumptuous. I had simply thought you were aware of-”

“No no, it's quite alright,” Kakashi hurried to say, “I was merely a bit surprised. Whatever is wrong with these reports?”

Iruka simply pointed his finger to the end of a report on the very top of the stack within the ring binder.

“What am I looking at?” Kakashi asked, vaguely confused.

“That's what I'm asking you,” Iruka said in tone which indicated that if he had been dealing with one of his students he'd probably be yelling by now, “I cannot identify that scribble where your signature was supposed to go.”

“Oh,” Kakashi realized, “That is my signature.”

“That is not a signature,” Iruka ground out, “That is a smiley.”

“No, see, it doesn't quite smile. It's more of a mildly bewildered frown,” he grabbed a pen and Iruka's wrist and started painting on the back of his hand, spelling out loud as he wrote the hiragana, “He-no-he-no-mo-he-ji. And tadaa, a scarecrow in place of the Hatake kanji.”

When he let go of Iruka's hand and looked up, the expression on the man's face was more than just a mildly bewildered frown.

“You are Hokage,” the academy teacher said, “You cannot sign reports about political assassinations with a smiley. It's inappropriate.”

Kakashi gave a small pout, happy that it didn't show under his mask, “So you want me properly sign all future reports?”

“Yes,” Iruka answered with a pleasant smile, “And I want you to correct your little mistake on all of the old ones as well.”

Kakashi stared up at him and then down at the stack in front of him, “That's at least a hundred pages.”

“Better get to it then,” the chuunin replied sweetly and simply left the office.

Kakashi sighed, but did as he was told.

 

“Tell me you didn't,” Iruka said when he next dropped by the office. He didn't even bother with the pretense of knocking first and other such niceties.

“Didn't want?” Kakashi wanted to know. He probably had done whatever Iruka was clearly upset about, so he couldn't outright deny it.

“Compare the daimyo's new wife to the heroine from your favorite Icha Icha novel,” Iruka responded, an angry pulse on his forehead.

Kakashi frowned in realization, “Have you read my private correspondence with the daimyo?”

“Those letters aren't private,” Iruka said, his voice tightly controlled, “They are part of the official dialogue Konoha holds with the daimyo's court. That's why I noticed your faux-pas when I was filing away a copy of said letter just now.”

“The comparison was meant as a compliment,” Kakashi defended himself, “I was merely implying that Minami-ojousama shared some of the stunning qualities that Jiraiya-dono described Icha Icha's Fu-chan to have.”

“You basically said the daimyo's spouse reminded you of a porn star,” Iruka growled, “That is not a compliment.”

“Ah,” Kakashi nodded, mildly regretful, “What do you propose I do to save the situation?”

“The chuunin who were meant to deliver the letter only left yesterday afternoon,” Iruka explained, reigning himself back in and squaring his shoulders, “I have taken the liberty to dispatch a pair of ANBU to intercept them and destroy the letter. I have also written a replacement letter and forged your signature. The proper one. The daimyo will be pleased with your blessings for his nuptials.”

For a moment Kakashi just sat there, stunned.

“How the hell were you able to do all that?” he demanded, “There is only a handful of people who can hand out orders to the ANBU.”

“I have special clearance,” Iruka just said and there was just the hint of a smile caught in the corner of his mouth.

“And faking your Hokage's signature?” Kakashi pressed, but Iruka only took a deep breath, hands crossed at the small of his back in a neat military resting pose.

“While I realize that my actions were borderline criminal, I only acted on the behalf of the village,” he explained, a tiny furrow between his closed eyes, “It is in Konoha's best interest that we remain on good relations with the daimyo. Calling his future wife a slut is not the way to do it.”

When put like that, Kakashi couldn't really argue with him.

“Very well,” he nodded gravely, “Dismissed.”

Iruka turned on his heel, marching back to the door.

“Ah, and Iruka-sensei?” Kakashi called out, making him pause, “I would like a list of everything you have special clearance for.”

“The complete list or an abridged version?” Iruka asked.

Kakashi's eyebrow twitched underneath his hitai-ate, “The complete list.”

“As you wish, Hokage-same,” Iruka said and then he was gone.

 

Kakashi stared down at the paper in front of him, his gaze flickering along the dozens of bullet points.

Clearance to hand out missions to all ranks. Clearance to access every mission report ever written. Clearance to destroy the private library of the Hokage in case of an invasion so that valuable information wouldn't fall into enemy hands. Clearance to vote on the final election of a new Hokage, along with the council and various clan heads. Clearance to voice doubts regarding the Hokage in front of said people.

Out of all of these, the one with destroying the library worried Kakashi the most. He had a suspicion that Iruka would be more than willing to let his Icha Icha collection go up in flames.

“I take it you voted on my election as well?” he asked, just to make sure.

“Yes,” Iruka nodded, “But I voted against you.”

Kakashi's visible eye widened marginally, “May I ask why?”

“Because you are a loner instead of a team worker. Because you send genin into battles they are not yet ready for,” Iruka replied, not even attempting to soften the blows, “And because you sign important reports with a smiley.”

“And yet here I am,” Kakashi mused, lifting a hand to indicate the cluttered office, “Seems like the others were convinced of my abilities after all.”

“I had Mitokado-sama and Utatane-sama firmly on my side,” Iruka told him, “I almost managed to convince Sarutobi Sura as well, but unfortunately it seems that Asuma and Konohamaru-kun always spoke highly of you.”

In fact, Kakashi and the Sandaime's eldest daughter had once gone on a hilariously horrible date as teenagers and since then never managed to uphold a proper conversation without turning red or giggling stupidly. He thought it best not to mention that in front of Iruka.

“So you don't like me,” Kakashi concluded, not really bothered, “Fair enough. Then why do you keep showing up in my office?”

“Someone has to do your job after all,” Iruka said, just as unperturbed, “Would that be all, Hokage-sama?”

“Yes,” Kakashi nodded, “Dismissed.”

 

“Don't you ever go home?” Kakashi demanded as soon as Iruka stepped into his office.

  
The chuunin threw a quick glance at the clock in the wall, “It's only three in the afternoon.”

  
“Yes, and yesterday you worked at the Academy from 8 am to 2 pm which is incidentally exactly the time your shift at the mission desk starts. I don't even know how you manage to make it from the class room to the Tower this quickly. And apparently you don't don't eat lunch either. Or dinner. Because after your regular shift, you apparently managed to search through old paperwork and bothered me to correct minor mistakes until six in the evening which was when I left. When I went for drinks with Maito Gai later that night, I happened to overhear Shiranui Genma mentioning that you were still working in the Tower. And today you seem to be doing all that again.”

  
Kakashi spread his hands in a helpless sign of surrender, “How? What's your secret? Did Naruto teach you Kage Bunshin? Do you have a special bloodline limit that allows you to go without sleep or food? What is it?”

  
“I'm just a hard worker,” Iruka answered and Kakashi didn't miss the jibe at his own alleged lazy nature, but chose to ignore it.

  
“You're a workaholic,” he corrected, “Because I checked and noticed that during weekends when there are no classes, you do missions as well.”

  
“As any self-respecting shinobi should,” Iruka said, “Theoretical knowledge is only worth so much, after all.”

  
“And an overworked shinobi is a liability for his teammates,” Kakashi added, more emphatically, “What you are doing is a danger to yourself and to others.”

  
At that reprimand, Iruka's back straightened, “Do I appear overworked to you, Hokage-sama?”

  
The problem was, he didn't. Umino Iruka was always well put together. Properly groomed and dressed, no bags under his eyes, his gaze attentive and clear. His posture showed that he was always on alert, his movements were calm, but deliberate.

  
Kakashi had seen such behavior in some ANBU, but even those took days off. Everyone else suffered from burn-out syndrome sooner or later. Iruka, however, had apparently upheld this routine for many years.  
“Don't you have a social life or a home?” Kakashi asked, “Family? Girlfriend? A cat, I'll buy you a cat if you want one.”

  
“I'm meeting Naruto for dinner tonight, if you deem that enough,” Iruka threw in lackadaisically and Kakashi belatedly remembered that the man was an orphan, too. Still, that didn't excuse the apparent lack of friends. Even Kakashi had friends, though they were a strange lot.

  
“Don't you ever just meet up with Genma, though?” he asked, “Or, er, Kotetsu? Keiko-sensei?”

  
“The are my friends, but also my colleagues,” Iruka pointed out, “I see them at work every day.”

  
“That's no substitute for actual time spent at leisure,” Kakashi shook his head, “You will have to cut back. I can't allow anything else.”

  
“I refuse to give up my a position as a teacher,” Iruka said, sounding strained now. Good.

  
“I wouldn't have expected anything else,” Kakashi replied, keeping his tone mild, “But if you insist on doing additional work in the Tower, you will at least drop your shift at the mission desk. You are overqualified anyway.”

  
“... Yes, Hokage-sama,” Iruka relented, but now he seemed a little bit mystified.

  
“You will either leave the Tower at the same time as me or before that. No more long hours. Meet your friends in the evenings, not at work.”

  
“Yes, Hokage-sama,” Iruka repeated, “Anything else?”

  
“I'll think of something,” Kakashi answered, “Or you will. For now you can go.”

  
When Iruka left the office this time, they were both smiling, but neither would have admitted it.

 

 

Kakashi noticed a couple of strange things happening in the following days.

  
He'd step out of his office to take a piss or talk to someone, and when he came back there would be a cup of tea on his desk or a plate of dango or chocolates. His office was also mysteriously clean, no stray paperwork, all scrolls and folders put away in their appropriate places, furniture arranged neatly.

  
Even the door which had been a bit squeaky had been oiled into perfectly smooth silence.

  
Kakashi sighed, stuck his head into the hallway and hailed down a random chuunin.

  
“Get me Umino Iruka,” he ordered, “I need to speak with him.”

  
When Iruka showed up only a minute later, he appeared completely unapologetic.

  
“When I told you to stop working at the mission desk, it wasn't so that you could start as my new cleaning lady,” Kakashi pointed out, “Because you are definitely overqualified for that.”

  
“It was meant as a sign of gratitude,” Iruka explained, “As well as an apology. I underestimated you.”

  
“How so?”

  
“You accept criticism without developing a grudge. You acknowledge other people's judgment. You worry about a potentially overworked chuunin,” Iruka smiled a little, “I think Naruto had a good influence on you.”

  
At that Kakashi had to frown, “I think I am a decent human being all by myself.”

  
“You're really not,” Iruka chuckled, “Would that be all, Hokage-sama?”

  
“Depends,” Kakashi mused, “Would you mind one more change to your job description?”

  
“What kind of change would that be?”

  
“Academy teacher in the morning, the Hokage's assistant in the afternoon,” Kakashi revealed, “How does that sound?”

  
“Like I'm some kind of superhero with a secret identity.”

  
“Not as secret as sneaking around and leaving sweets in my office,” Kakashi teased, “Do you accept?”

  
For a moment, Iruka seemed to ponder on the proposal, “I guess without some supervision you'll never learn how do your paperwork correctly, will you?”

  
“Is that a yes?”

  
Iruka made a show of letting out a put-upon sigh, “For the good of Konoha – I accept.”

 

 

They worked surprisingly well together.

  
It wasn't like there was much of a change to how things were before. Iruka was still there to harp Kakashi about his illegible handwriting, and whenever Kakashi's stomach growled a snack was suddenly just there.

  
Iruka was also really good at determining which issues actually required the Hokage's attention or were just based on some jounin's overreaction. For the first time in months, Kakashi did not dread going to work in the morning or still feel tense when he came home at night.

  
He quickly found out that while Iruka often appeared like a stickler for rules, putting on a strict facade in front of his students, he was quite a trickster and a cunning liar at that.

  
“Before Naruto was old enough to take over the mantle, I was Konoha's most feared prankster,” he revealed, more than a hint of pride in his voice, “That's actually how the Sandaime first came to take me into his fold.”

  
Kakashi knew that Iruka had grown to be some sort of adopted cousin to Sura and Asuma and that the boy had often hung around the Hokage's office.

  
“He taught me a lot,” Iruka reminisced as Kakashi often did of Minato-sensei, “I was never much of a fighter and knew I probably would never make it to jounin. But the Third taught me all his know-how, the finesse that political issues demand and the signs that help you read people. I was never expected to take up additional jobs at the Tower, but somehow it makes me feel closer to him. Like I'm putting his lessons to good use.”

  
Considering that Kakashi had never wanted to become Hokage but now found himself sitting the same office that used to belong to his former sensei he could definitely relate to that sentiment.

  
Maybe he and Iruka had more in common that he had assumed at the beginning of their acquaintance.

 

 

On a stupid, random mission, Sakura and Naruto nearly died.

  
It was laughable, because how could they have survived so much, only to almost lose their lives to something like this?

  
But such was the life of a ninja, and Kakashi hated it more often than not.

  
The preliminary report said that apparently Naruto had been heavily injured and Sakura almost killed herself healing him. However, at that point he was conscious and determined enough to carry her back to Konoha and break down as soon as he set foot within the walls of the village.

  
Ino dropped by the office to inform both Kakashi and Iruka that the two idiots would be just fine by the end of the week and that for now they would just need a lot of rest, enforced by Tsunade-sama's tight reign over the hospital.

  
Kakashi slumped back in his chair, facing the ceiling, his eye blinking rapidly while the rest of his body felt strangely exhausted and heavy.

  
It was the low after the rush of adrenaline, he realized faintly. Considering that working in behind a desk didn't confront him with regular life-or-death situations he had almost forgotten the edge of it. But it seemed that worrying about your loved ones had similar affects.

  
Luckily, Iruka didn't seem much better off.

  
“Shall I bring you some tea, Hokage-sama?” he asked, the words composed but shaky.

  
“Not tea,” Kakashi shook his head, “I need... I need something stronger.”

  
He opened one of his drawers, pulling out a bottle and a cup. Bless Tsunade for her advice about keeping some emergency sake stashed away.

He poured himself a generous amount, pulled down his mask and downed the cup. The burn in the back of his throat and in his stomach made him feel a little bit better.

Suddenly, Iruka was next to him, leaning against the desk and just taking the whole bottle with shaking fingers.

Kakashi stared a little as Iruka took a big gulp, the movement exposing the younger man's neck, his Adam's apple bobbing. Belatedly, Kakashi realized that his own face was still bare.

“Apologies,” Iruka said, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth, only to take another swallow, “I shouldn't be this shaken. They will both make a full recovery, after all.”

“Knowledge is not always enough to abate fear,” Kakashi said wisely, though he felt just as jittery, “There's no need to apologize.”

“Thank you, Hokage-sama,” Iruka replied, setting the bottle down again. Finally, he seemed to properly look at Kakashi, seeing his face for the first time.

The handful of people who had ever seen him without his mask had had reactions verging from 'You're not as ugly as I thought' to 'You really have no reason to hide that, handsome'.

Iruka, however, merely looked.

“Shall I tell Koyashi-san to change my status once more?” he asked, “Special clearance to view the Rokudaime's face up close?”

It was worded like a joke, but Iruka's voice was still flat with the remainders of shock. Kakashi didn't feel much different, so he couldn't even find it in himself to chuckle.

For a few seconds they just looked at each other. Kakashi caught himself wondering when Iruka had gained his own facial scar. In a Hidden Village, lingering injuries were so common that no one ever bothered to ask. People either liked to boast about their scars or never dared to acknowledge them. Iruka didn't seem to mind his own, but it didn't seem like a battle trophy either. Kakashi found himself strangely envious of that.

“Apologies,” Iruka suddenly said again and Kakashi wondered whether it was still because of the sake or the awkward joke, but then Iruka had leaned forward and pressed their lips together.

Throughout his life, Kakashi had never much bothered with kissing, always too wary about whom he could show his face. It was one of the reasons why his date with Sarutobi Sura had been so disastrous. She had tried to pull down his mask to snog him and, out of reflex, he had punched her in the head.

Kakashi didn't punch Iruka, but then the mask was already down anyway. And Iruka was a really good kisser.

They kept their hands to themselves, their bodies a fair distance apart and only their mouths against each other.

The relief after shock, Kakashi thought blankly, hyper-aware of the tongue in his mouth. Endorphins. The urge to procreate during or after a dangerous situation. Life-affirming actions and all that.

The chemistry and psychology behind it were quite easy to explain. Iruka's lips on his weren't.

They were soft and wet against Kakashi's chapped ones, and warm, too. They moved, slow, but insistent, with just a bit of teeth in between. It was a nice kiss. Pleasant, comforting. Something that could just be laughed off later.

What happened then, however, was much harder to just reason away.

Suddenly, the mouth was gone and instead Iruka had slid down to the floor, kneeling between Kakashi's legs. His intent was obvious enough, but Kakashi's brain refused to catch up with everything, so he simply sat watching as Iruka's nimble hands undid his pants and pulled out his cock.

Kakashi wasn't hard, but that quickly changed as Iruka tilted his head down and started sucking him. His mouth was wet and warm, just like during the kiss, and he ran his tongue over the ridge, into the slit, along the entire length.

Kakashi wasn't quite panting with it, but his breath sped up, hands tightening around the arm rests of his chair. Iruka was obviously a skilled lover and a part of Kakashi marveled at that. Maybe he had assumed that someone as busy and often uptight would not have many opportunities to perfect his blowjob technique.

He was being given a blowjob by his assistant. Something in Kakashi rebelled at the thought. He could be prosecuted for coercion. He could lose his position and his reputation in a worse way than even his father had.

Or maybe Iruka was only doing this to literally suck up to him, garner favors and a better standing.

Still, Kakashi didn't do anything to stop him, his hips bucking a little out of the chair as the first warning waves of pleasure rolled through him. Iruka gave a pleased moan and then Kakashi was done for. His eyes fell shut and he silently rode out his orgasm while Iruka just kept sucking, swallowing all of it.

When Kakashi could breathe again he looked down to find Iruka's eyes dark with lust.

“Will that be all, Hokage-sama?” he asked, his voice low and a little rough. Kakashi's breath hitched. “Yes,” he said, the word falling from his lips reluctantly, “That will be all.”

 

 

They didn't talk about it.

  
Kakashi had hoped that, as Iruka usually seemed like a responsible adult, he'd be willing to discuss things openly, but instead neither acknowledged that anything had happened at all.

  
They both showed up for work, exchanged the usual small talk and just went on with their days. If there was a mild tension between them, no one noticed anything different. The Hokage and his assistant were as efficient as always.

  
As efficient as Iruka angling his tongue just so and-

  
Kakashi was really going crazy here, especially with Iruka leaning close and pointing out the intricacies of a potential trading contract with a larger community in the West. But Iruka smelled nice, just clean and familiar, and Kakashi really couldn't be trusted to be alone with him.

  
The next time Iruka returned to the office, Kakashi's pack of ninken was lounging around on the floor, with Pakkun on the Hokage's lap. Iruka merely raised an eyebrow.

  
“I only ever let them out at home nowadays,” Kakashi lied, putting on a sheepish smile, “It seems unfair to neglect them so.”

  
“Utatane-sama has a dog hair allergy,” Iruka told him, “If she sneezes herself to death the next time she comes to nag you, it'll be on you.”

  
“If you hadn't voted against me back then, she wouldn't be nagging me,” Kakashi reminded him.

  
“She's been nagging three generations of Hokage before you,” Iruka huffed, “And she'll probably still do it when Naruto holds the office. My influence on her has nothing to do with it.”

  
“Fair enough,” Kakashi relented, watching as Iruka took time to rub Bull's rump and scratch Uhei between the ears.

  
He made great tea, gave mind-numbing blowjobs and liked dogs. Kakashi was doomed.

 

 

After that, Kakashi found himself noticing things that he had observed before but never really paid attention to.

  
The glossy shine of Iruka's hair and how the high ponytail exposed the back of his neck. The fact that the man's naturally tan skin was just a shade lighter at the inside of his wrist, the crisscrossing veins much less obvious than on Kakashi's own forearm. The pen he carried in his thigh holster, nestled in-between some senbon. That he loved good ramen, but also had a sweet tooth. That he was a bit of a history buff and could tell you everything you never wanted to know about all the Kage.

  
Maybe all of that wouldn't have been so bad if Iruka just hadn't always been there. But he was.

  
Scratching his head while trying to make sense of Genma's atrocious handwriting. Puffing up his chest when he gave some entitled jounin a proper dressing-down. Giving a little content sigh after his first sip of tea. Bending over to pull a ring binder from a lower shelf.

  
The last one was Kakashi's downfall because eventually someone noticed. Maybe he should count himself lucky because it was only Shizune who didn't seem likely to tell anyone.

  
She had come over on Tsunade-sama's behest, intending to sort out some old paperwork that technically didn't fall under Kakashi's jurisdiction. And because it didn't fall under Kakashi's jurisdiction he had no idea what Shizune was talking about.

  
Once more, however, Iruka proved to be heaven-sent and immediately made a beeline for the shelf where he suspected the papers.

  
Kakashi's gaze had followed him all by itself, without any bad intent, but then it just got stuck, because Iruka's butt was really fit and the dark trousers really tight.

  
For all that Kakashi wore a mask, something must've given him away, because Shizune gave him a small frown and then followed the direction of his gaze. With an unimpressed stare she looked back at Kakashi.  
He should have played it off then, wriggled his eyebrows, given a leer or a shrug or at least a grin – but he didn't. Instead he felt his cheeks grow strangely warm and busied himself with a pen, fumbling around so much that he nearly dropped the cap on the floor. When he glanced up again, the expression on Shizune's face had grown thoughtful, but then it slowly morphed into a small smile.

  
“There you go,” Iruka declared finally, dropping the desired folder into Shizune's hands, “I hope this is all of it.”

  
“Thank you ever so much, Iruka-kun,” Shizune replied, “Rokudaime-sama is so lucky to have you.”

  
“Ah,” Iruka scratched his scar in mild embarrassment, whether at the praise or the memory of just how much the Hokage had already had of him, “It's no more than you did for Tsunade-sama.”

  
“Exactly,” Shizune chuckled, “I was the Hokage's assistant for several years. I know how difficult it can be at times. There are some... challenges that other shinobi don't have to face.”

  
“It's mostly just paperwork,” Iruka shrugged it off, “And Rokudaime-sama is quite pleasant to work with.”

  
Considering that, a few weeks prior, Iruka had been hoping to kick Kakashi out of the Hokage chair that was definitely a ringing endorsement. Considering that he had also given Kakashi a blowjob in that chair, it was a bit of a letdown.

  
“I'll leave you to it then,” Shizune said with a small bow in Kakashi's direction, but he didn't miss the saucy look she sent along with it.

  
“Have a nice day, Hokage-sama,” she added over her shoulder as she opened the door to leave, “Tsunade-sama will be glad to hear that you're adapting well to the title.”

  
Yes, Kakashi was definitely doomed.

 

 

Kakashi was a little surprised to find Naruto waiting for him in front of his apartment. Then again, Iruka probably took pains to keep the boy from pestering his former mentor, so Naruto just might have known that he wouldn't even have gotten anywhere near the Hokage office.

  
“Sensei,” Naruto greeted and there was a dark, foreboding tone in his voice that Kakashi hadn't expected. It certainly matched the boy's stormy face.

  
“Favorite student of mine,” Kakashi replied sneakily, hoping that it would have an appeasing effect. It did and Naruto laughed a little.

  
“Everyone knows Sakura is your favorite,” he said, “But I'm Iruka-sensei's favorite.”

  
And then there was a meaningful glare. Kakashi swallowed.

  
“Ah, I take it Shizune-san spoke to you then?” he asked carefully, but Naruto only cocked his head to the side, “Shizune-nee-san? No, why? Is there anything she needs to tell me?”

  
“Ah, no, my mistake,” Kakashi waved him off, “What did you want to talk about?”

  
Naruto crossed his arms, “It's about you and Iruka-sensei.”

  
Shit.

  
“Well, why don't you come in then?” Kakashi offered, unlocking his apartment door and beckoning him inside. Here, at least, the neighbors wouldn't complain about Naruto making a scene. Oh God. Naruto was going to make a scene. Kakashi did not want to discuss his barely existent sex life with his former student.

  
Unwilling to let any of his inner freak-out show, Kakashi busied himself with taking off his shoes and placing his keys neatly on the side table in the entrance. Naruto, however, just kept lingering in the open doorway, leaning against the threshold.

  
“I'm gonna make this quick,” he announced, getting right to the point, “Because I know you run the village now and have a lot of stuff to do. But that is no excuse, okay? Not for any of this. Iruka-sensei is the best. He was the first to ever notice me, the first to really take care of me. And he deserves so much better.”

  
Kakashi had given in to his fate, his shoulders slumped as he faced the boy. Naruto looked somewhat fretful as he continued, his gaze on the floor and a frown on his forehead.

  
“I know some people think that Iruka-sensei is only a chuunin. But I'm still a genin and that doesn't say anything at all about what I can do. And Iruka-sensei can do pretty much everything,” Naruto insisted, “Maybe he's not made for S-ranked missions or anything, but he's strong in a lot of other ways. Ways that count. Teaching children is much more difficult than just killing someone.”

  
Yes, Kakashi had grown quite aware of that fact during the past few years.

  
“And I know Iruka-sensei tries to make up for what other people think are his weaknesses,” Naruto pushed onward, fingers clenching in the fabric of his sleeves, “That's why he works so hard and all of the time, too! He never allows himself a break. And now you've made everything worse!”

  
“Maa, Naruto,” Kakashi tried to soothe him, “I understand that you are worried, but Iruka is a grown man. He can make his own decisions.”

  
“But now you are just using him!” Naruto pointed out, obviously distressed, “And I get that you think you need him, but can't you just find someone else?”

  
“I'm not using him,” Kakashi protested, repeating out loud what he had been telling himself for a while now, “He did all that out of his own volition. I certainly didn't ask for it. Suddenly he was just there and maybe I should've told him to leave, but he was just very... convincing.”

  
Naruto nodded gravely, “I get that it's difficult to resist such an offer, especially since Iruka is so skilled.”

  
Kakashi blanched, “What? How do you know about that?”

  
“It's obvious, isn't it?” Naruto said with a shrug, “Sandaime-jiji always relied on him. It's no wonder you'd want to have Iruka-sensei around, too.”

  
“Naruto,” Kakashi said slowly, “Are we still talking about the same thing?”

  
“Huh?” Naruto blinked, “About how you shouldn't let Iruka-sensei overwork himself just because he's your new assistant?”

  
A hint of suspicion slipped into his gaze, “Or what were you referring to?”

  
“Just that,” Kakashi smiled brightly, “I actually already talked to him about that. That's why he's no longer working at the mission desk. So happy to have had that conversation with you. I'll have to take a shower now. And bathe my dogs. All of them. It's gonna take hours and, as you said, I'm a busy person. Bye!”

  
Against Naruto's protests he just pushed him outside and shut the door in his face.

  
Well, Kakashi thought to himself, a sigh escaping him, this could have been much worse. Naruto, after all, was a little bit emotionally handicapped. If Sakura had been here she would have looked right through him.

  
Kakashi made a mental note to avoid all females of his acquaintance, lest he get caught making eyes at his secretary again.

 

 

It was a late night at the office and Kakashi just wanted to go home. Iruka had insisted on finishing up, though, otherwise they'd have to do the same thing all over again the next day.

  
So Kakashi had dismissed all but two of the ANBU guards and then excused himself for a toilet break.

  
At this hour of the night, the upper floor of Hokage Tower was all but deserted and Kakashi slouched down the hallway at a leisured place, happy that for once there were no people constantly bowing to him. He hated the bowing. He always gave little waves with his hand to signal everyone to relax, but the next time they saw him they did it all over again. It made him feel awkward.

  
Now, as he rounded the corner, there was something else he felt. Killing intent, to be precise, emanating from his office – where Iruka had been assisting him with the yearly population report.

  
Kakash entered the room with so much force that the door broke from its hinges. The sharingan was activated with barely a thought and a kunai was already in his hand. Some had given him indulgent smiles when the new Hokage insisted on still carrying his usual weapons with him at all times. But old habits died hard, especially when you were a former ANBU. Not for the first time in his life Kakashi was grateful for his seemingly excessive paranoia.

  
“Kakashi! Watch out!” Iruka yelled immediately, never taking his eyes off his opponent.

  
A sturdy kunoichi had engaged him in a fight. Her tan skin and her style of dress revealed her to be of Suna. Her battered hitai-ate confirmed that suspicion as well as the fact that she was a missing nin. Kakashi wouldn't have expected anything else. If there was one Kage he knew would always honor their newly reinforced alliance then it was Subako no Gaara, if only for Naruto's sake.

  
The woman was wielding a kusarigama, a long-range weapon which offered a definite advantage in comparison to the meager kunai Iruka was holding.

  
In a flash Kakashi had inserted himself in the slot between the two ninja, putting Iruka at his back and offering him protection.

  
The kunoichi's weathered face twisted in a mixture between a grin and a growl. Her purpose for coming here was obvious enough. An assassination attempt gone wrong when she had encountered a secretary instead of the Hokage himself. But she obviously hadn't expected the chuunin to hold his own.

  
Without even letting go of the hilt of her weapon, her hands started to flash through a series of seals. The sharingan recognized it as one of the Fuuton jutsu commonly found among Suna shinobi. If the woman was a wind user she had a the upper hand over his lightening affinity. But he wasn't Hokage for nothing. Quickly, he was up in her space, hindering her from completing the jutu.

  
He was good at taijutsu, always had been, and Gai certainly hadn't allowed him to slack off, not even duing the past months, and now he is glad for it. Because Kakashi was fast, faster than most, but the kunoichi wasn't far behind.

  
Unlike many other ninja he had come across, she didn't waste time and breath on trying to taunt and goad him on. Her style was efficient and to the point, not one unnecessary movement, but each with unexepected force behind it.

  
The two of them clashed and sprang apart, but there was not much space in the small office. Kakashi contemplated flinging his desk at her face, but then – without her ever bothering with any sort of seal, and she must've finished the previous jutu after all, only temporary delaying it – she was lifting a hand and suddenly a strong gush of wind sent him flying into said desk, overturning the furniture and making him crash into the corner of the room.

  
He freed himself of wooden debris and was back on his feet within a flash, but then there was already the glint of metal, the deadly blade of kusarigama slicing through the air.

  
“No!“ someone shouted and suddenly a shadow manifested itself somewhere in the corner of his eye, but even with the sharingan, Kakashi wasn't exactly sure what happened. One second the weapon was flying towards him and the next Iruka was in front of him, falling down to his knees, the curved blade embedded deeply between his ribs.

  
The kunoichi tried tugging the blade back by the chain that connected it to the hilt, but Iruka's hands had closed around the chain to hold the weapon in place. He grit his teeth, but didn't make a sound, even as the sharp metal skidded around in his flesh and bright red blood ran down his front.

  
Kakashi, who had early on learned the importance of always keeping a level head in a fight, was overcome by a sudden searing rage. A chidori was in his hand and moments later deep within the woman's ribcage.

  
He could feel her heart stutter against the electric impulse, making it seem that it was still beating of its own volition, even as the light went out in her eyes. Her last breath escaped her like a surprised hiss and then she was dead. She never even had the chance to say anything.

  
Kakashi pulled his arm free from her chest, but he didn't even wait to see her body drop to the ground. Instead he was already at Iruka's side.

  
The chuunin had fallen onto his back, feebly trying to hold the wound closed, even around the weapon.

  
Kakashi bit his thumb and summoned Pakkun before he could even think about it.

  
“Get a medic,” he only said, vaguely remembering that Sakura was working the nightshift at the hospital. She would be able to help. Pakkun didn't ask any questions, jumping out of the window with practiced ease.

  
Then Kakashi was finally able to completely focus on Iruka. The man was obviously already weakened from the blood loss and his arms had slipped to his sides. Kakashi didn't waste another second, putting as much pressure on the wound as he dared without doing any further damage.

  
Within seconds his hands were drenched, blood pouring out between his shaking fingers. When had they started shaking? That was a rookie phenomenon. Kakashi wasn't a rookie. He was a war-hardened Hokage, goddammit.

  
A quick glance revealed that Iruka was slowly drifting away, his usually tan face pale and his eyes dimming, gaze growing unfocused. Kakashi snapped.

  
“Don't you dare make me find another secretary!” he bit out.

  
The sound of his voice seemed to pull Iruka back for a moment and he laughed, a splatter of blood on his lips. The motion made his rib cage jump under Kakashi's touch.

  
This was not how this was supposed to happen.

  
Kakashi had wanted to take it slow. Had wanted to see how far Iruka was willing to go, what he was able to give. For the first time in his life, Kakashi had thought that maybe he could be happy with this. That after all the pain and destruction, he could rebuild himself as he was rebuilding Konoha. And that Iruka would be there to help him.

  
Not this, with Iruka's life pouring out between his helpless hands. Never this.

  
Kakashi didn't even know how much time had passed, but it seemed too long until finally Sakura was sweeping in through the window.

  
“At least one of the ANBU guards is dead,” she informed him briskly, “Pakkun is looking for the other.”

  
Then she pushed him aside and got to work.

  
When she removed the blade, Iruka finally lost consciousness. It should probably be considered a blessing, but it looked too much like death to Kakashi.

  
As usual, Sakura was calm and efficient, one of the qualities he had always respected in both her and Iruka. For a long time, Kakashi had dealt with his problems by locking away his emotions and never bothering to take a closer look at them. To him, it had seemed fascinating to see people who could function, but still be caring and generous and excitable outside of work. It had taken him a long time to get anywhere near that balance between professionalism and emotional stability.

  
Now, he sort of wished he'd never gotten in touch with his feelings, not when they were squeezing his chest and robbing him of breath.

  
When Sakura shot him a quick glance, he realized that he was hovering, that she expected him to give her more space. But he couldn't bring himself to move away, instead letting his hand inch closer, just enough so that his finger tips could brush Iruka's bare forearm. The chuunin seemed cold to the touch, but Kakashi couldn't decide whether it was his own imagination. Looking at Iruka's slack face only reminded him of how dire the situation was, so instead he chose to focus on Sakura's hands, glowing green with chakra, and how the wound steadily closed beneath the healing touch.

  
“He's stronger than you'd think,” Sakura said suddenly and Kakashi's brain took a moment to catch up with the words and the fact that she had spoken at all. She didn't look at him, though, keeping her gaze on her patient as she continued talking in a light, reassuring tone, just a hint of strain in her voice.

  
“Remember the time Naruto told us all about how he first found out about being a jinjuuriki?” she asked, “Iruka-sensei protected him then. Took a giant shuriken to the back, but still kept fighting. It nearly sliced his spine in half, but he just pulled it out and used it as a weapon himself.”

  
Iruka had protected him, too, Kakashi realized. Hadn't even hesitated before throwing himself into the path of the blade. After all, what was the life of a common chuunin in comparison to that of a Kage? Shinobi were taught to make such sacrifices, to always consider the greater good.

  
But Iruka wasn't just any chuunin. And Kakashi wished he'd told him that before he so carelessly threw himself into harm's way.

  
Vaguely, Kakashi was aware of the arrival of additional medical personnel, just as Sakura finally pulled back with a relieved sigh, wiping her brow.

  
“He's lost a lot of blood,” she determined, “We have to get him to the hospital immediately.”

  
She stood up, pulling Kakashi to his feet as well so the other medics could prepare Iruka for transportation.

  
“But he'll pull through,” she added with a squeeze of his arm, once she noticed how Kakashi didn't relax and didn't take his gaze of the motionless chuunin, “You can come with and keep an eye on him.”  
Slowly, Kakashi blinked. The thought of sitting by Iruka's bedside seemed both tempting and terrifying.

  
Also, he was Hokage. He couldn't just do as he wished now, not when there had been an assassination attempt made on him, leaving a dead missing nin in his office and at least on dead ANBU outside. Not when there could have been a dead chuunin added to the list. No, he had to call in a meeting.

  
“Give me a report of his status tomorrow morning,” Kakashi instructed Sakura instead, watching as the medics carried Iruka out of the room on a stretcher.

  
“Are you sure?” Sakura asked, hand still on his arm, “Just because you're Hokage doesn't mean you can't worry about your loved ones.”

  
A tiny part of him wondered whether he should immaturely protest against the idea of calling Iruka his loved one, but there was really no point. Like Shizune – and most other women Kakashi knew – Sakura had always been much to perceptive when it came to such matters.

  
“Duty always comes first,” he heard his voice say instead, “You know that. He knows that.”

  
“Prove him wrong, then,” Sakura told him gently and moved to follow her colleagues out the door.

  
Kakashi was left alone with a cooling corpse and a puddle of blood on his office floor, the dreadful calm before the storm, before he was bombarded by questions from the head of security, the ANBU leader, the intel officers and probably Naruto once he found out that something had happened to Iruka.

  
It's you fault for letting him work this late and alone with you, he imagined the boy yelling at him.

  
Yes, Kakashi agreed silently, It's my fault.

 

 

During the following days, Kakashi did not visit the hospital. He had Sakura update him on the man's condition as demanded, and then buried himself in work, which wasn't overly difficult to do, considering the political mess the former Suna kunoichi had created.

  
Iruka was apparently stable and had even woken once, inquiring about the Hokage's well-being. That was enough for Kakashi. When Sakura asked whether she should drop by again that evening or the next day, he told her it wasn't necessary. She had frowned, but left with another invitation for him to go to the hospital.

  
That had been four days ago. Naruto had not yet been here to reprimand him, but Kakashi belatedly remembered that his former student was on a mission. He'd probably get an earful later anyway.

  
He was reading Gaara-sama's response letter as to what to do with the missing nin's remains. Apparently, the woman only had distant family left who did not care about where she ended up in death, especially after the disgraceful life she had led. Kakashi decided that they'd just have her cremated then and set to write a reply to Suna.

  
In that moment, there was a knock on the door. Kakashi knew that knock, but it wasn't possible. There was no way that-

  
And Iruka didn't even wait for an answer before stepping into the office.

  
He wasn't wearing his flak vest, just the standard black shirt, and his hair looked a little messier than usual. But his face wasn't pale and there was obviously life in him.

  
“I'm here to report back to work, Hokage-sama,” he said, his voice strong as if he hadn't nearly died in this same room a couple of days ago.

  
Nevertheless, Kakashi stared, mortified as if he were seeing a ghost, saying the first thing that came to his mind, his voice much harsher than he'd intended, “You shouldn't even be out of bed yet, much less working.”

  
At that, Iruka pulled himself up straighter, a tiny wince on his face betraying the fact that the motion obviously pained him.

  
“Tsunade-sama gave me the go-ahead as long as I take it easy,” he informed coolly, staring straight ahead.

  
Kakashi couldn't believe the audacity. There was one thing to have to acknowledge the Godaime's professional judgment, but for Iruka to talk back to him like this, as if Kakashi were making mountains out of molehills – that was unacceptable.

  
“You don't know how to take it easy,” Kakashi reminded him, standing up from his chair and rounding the desk, “You are infuriatingly stubborn. By the end of the day you'll have put yourself in a coma.”

  
Iruka's lips twitched slightly, but then he caught himself again, his expression smooth and polite.

  
“I'm sure Shizune-san or Habachi-san would be more than willing and capable to help out in that case,” he pointed out, “They are already familiar with the working of the office and should be able to replace me.”

  
Kakashi took a step closer. Iruka didn't back down.

  
“Why would I replace you?” Kakashi demanded, trying to catch the other man's eyes with his own. Iruka resisted for a moment, but then stared back defiantly.

  
This isn't a battle, Kakashi thought to himself, furious that Iruka would treat it as such. This shouldn't even be an argument.

  
“I don't want another secretary,” he grit out, “I want you!”

  
Kakashi thought that he should probably regret those words, but then they instantly seemed to leech all the ire from Iruka's eyes, replacing them with open surprise and confusion.

  
He has no idea, Kakashi realized. And here he'd thought Iruka was one of the few people around him who weren't emotionally stunted.

  
Strangely encouraged by that realization, he leaned in even closer.

  
“I want you,” he repeated, tasting how it felt on his tongue when said with deliberation, “I want... you.”

  
“Uh, w-what?” Iruka stammered, and while his face hadn't been pale before he was now positively blushing, “What are you talking about, Hokage-sama?”

  
“That I want you to call me by my name after you have already kissed me,” Kakashi told him, inspired, “That I want to push you down in that chair and blow you instead. That I don't want us to go our separate ways in the evening. That I want to sit by your bedside and feed you sweets until you are fully recovered.”

  
He took a deep breath, feeling all energy drain from him all of a sudden.

  
“I want that,” he concluded quietly, his eye falling shut, “I want you.”

  
Suddenly, there were fingers tugging at the fabric of his mask and Kakashi's instincts were screaming at him to lash out and fight back, but a split second later there were warm lips on his and his brain caught up with the fact that Iruka was kissing him.

  
Automatically, Kakashi's arms came up, closing around Iruka to pull him closer. The younger man made a slightly pained noise when the movement jarred his injury, but his hands stayed cupped around Kakashi's face.

  
Kakashi concentrated on the tongue is his mouth, the chapped lips against his, the feeling of Iruka's body, warm and whole, because this was different. Before, when they had kissed, fueled by a mixture of shock and sudden kinship, there had still been worlds between them.

  
Now they were closer, so much closer, and Kakashi realized that he had never had anything like this. He had never slowly grown to be comfortable in someone's presence, had never worked to gain someone's affection, had never put so much of himself on the line.

  
He had thought that Iruka liked him well enough by now and that they were tentative friends who could maybe engage in casual sex on the side. But he had known that that was not what he truly wanted, not what he could endure.

  
So he had kept Iruka at arm's length – only to now find that Iruka fit quite perfectly right into his arms.

  
“You didn't visit me at the hospital,“ Iruka mumbled against him, somewhere between petulant and insecure, “I thought- I thought I'd been reading too much into things.“

  
“I thought you'd be put off by the idea of dating your superior,“ Kakashi admitted with a huff and reveled in the feeling of them just standing there, foreheads resting against each other.

  
Iruka made a slightly strangeled sound, “Dating?“

  
God, this was why Kakashi made a crappy Hokage. He was crap at reading people outside of actual life-and-death situations.

  
“Or- or whatever you want, really,“ he back-pedalled quickly, “Dating, fooling around – I'm fine with either. Gardening. I have a garden, we can garden together. If you like flowers, that is. Do you have any allegies?“

  
“Kakashi,“ Iruka said with a slow exhale, “Shut up.“

  
So Kakashi did, watching as Iruka took a couple of calming breaths, and there seemed to be no other sound in the room, not even the noises of the busy village just outside.

  
“Here's what will happen,“ Iruka began, nodding to himself, and Kakashi found himself wondering whether that was the same kind of tone he used to inform his students about the upcoming schedule. The thought made him smile.

  
“I'll take a couple more days off, but by next week I'll be working normally again,” Iruka told him matter-of-factly, “You will accept Habachi-san's help and not let the paperwork get the better of you. I refuse to sort out your mess even one more time. By the end of the day, you will come visit me at my apartment. You will pick up some Ichiraku ramen and maybe some strawberry ice cream. On your way, I want you to think about all the things we could possibly do once I'm back to full health.”

  
“That's a lot of stuff to remember,” Kakashi noted mildly.

  
He felt like he should be floundering more, like before, because this was completely new territory for him, but at Iruka's straight-forward instructions he is overcome by a tide of calm. He knows this feeling from the end of drawn-out sparring sessions, the satisfaction of it and the pleasant haze as his body comes down from its high, easing up even as his heart is still beating loudly in his ears.

  
“Nevertheless, you will do it,” Iruka huffed, unimpressed, “If you treat this relationship with as much laziness as you do paperwork, then I'll change my mind at once.”

  
“It's a relationship already?” Kakashi asked, not quite sure whether he was teasing or trying to actually figure out the answer.

  
“I demand complete commitment, even if you will always have the village to consider,” Iruka said crisply, “Do you accept or not?”

  
“Hm,” Kakashi mused, slightly moving his head from left to right so his lips kept almost brushing Iruka's, just a hair's breadth away, “The Hokage doesn't take orders from a mere chuunin.”

  
Iruka tilted up his chin with a faint air of entitlement, the motion decreasing the distance between their mouths.

  
“I have special clearance,” he replied, the look in his eyes downright insouciant, and Kakashi found himself reminded of their early days of working together, with this infuriating chuunin constantly there to hassle him.

  
“I guess you do,” he chuckled, “What are your orders then, if I may?”

  
“As I said, strawberry ice cream,” Iruka reminded him, leaning in to speak against Kakashi's half-open mouth, “And I want to lick it off your skin.”

  
For all his previous resolutions that he wouldn't slack off as Hokage, Kakashi ended up skipping work that day.

**Author's Note:**

> Had this lying around for a couple of months, with only two segments missing, and I finally got around to finishing it.  
> KakaIru is one of my guilty pleasures as they are both characters whose dynamic can change dramatically, depeding on how they are written. I love suave Kakashi, but also loveydovey Kakashi, and insecure Iruka and bossy Iruka. They two of them have so much potential for both angst and humor, individually and put together, and that really gets me going.
> 
> I also wanted an explanation on how Kakashi could possibly function as a Hokage. ;-)


End file.
